1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is animal and wildlife feeders, or, more specifically, enclosed spinner units for replacing spinner plates used for distributing feed from the feeders.
2. Description of Related Art
In the current art of animal and wildlife feeders, it is typical for the feeder to have a motorized control unit that intermittently rotates a vertically oriented shaft to which is attached a spinner plate. The spinner plate is positioned beneath a feed storage unit, the storage unit allowing feed, such as corn, to discharge through a tube directed onto the spinner plate. The spinner plate is typically rotated for about 8 seconds, twice a day, leaving the spinner plate stationary for long periods of time with a full load of feed from the feed storage unit. When the control unit shaft rotates the spinner plate the feed is thrown from the plate, in response to the centrifugal forces generated by the rapid spinning of the spinner plate.
Thieving birds and small animals have plagued feeder operators for years. For example, spinner plates leave substantial amounts of feed exposed to such animals, either near the discharge tube, on the top of the spinner plate, generally, or at the spinner plate discharge openings, where the openings allow birds to insert their heads into the opening to gain access to the feed.
Another operator problem is the inability of the spinner plate to prevent feed from being thrown upwardly from the spinner plate as it spins, leaving substantial amounts of feed to fall beneath the feeder instead of being thrown clear of the feeder to an area of some distance from the feeder. Some wildlife, such as deer, tend to feed in families or segregated groups, and do not prefer to feed near the feeder where they are unnecessarily close to other families or groups. A related problem is the inability of many spinner plates to maximize the distance the feed travels from the feeder, and to throw the feed in a consistent and uniform manner in a circular area about the feeder.
Many existing spinner plates are highly subject to wind dislodging feed from the spinner plate while the spinner plate is stationary. Feed dislodged in this manner lands beneath, or much too close to the feeder, resulting in substantial loss of feed, to the point that the feed storage unit can be emptied by the continued discharge of feed onto a spinner plate cleared by the wind. Feeders are often left unattended for extended periods of time, and this problem can cause a feeder to be emptied and useless for long periods of time.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,220 to Reneau, et al. leaves substantial amounts of feed uncovered allowing small animal access to the feed through the open plate in areas around the sleeve (reference 50 on FIG. 3). The Reneau device also has no structure for enhancing the consistency and uniformity of the feed distribution, instead having a wide, gated mouth. The large areas of feed without a covering top also allow feed to be thrown up and off the spinner plate. The Reneau gates are also subject to being flipped backward over the top of the spinner plate, leaving feed exposed at the openings. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,289 to Gresham, et al. allows unnecessarily easy small animal access due to the lack of a covering top and sides, above and around, significant portions of the feed. (See FIGS. 3-4)
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,508 to Lehman, et al., which has an open spinner plate with little protection from small animals or the wind. U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,035 to Johnson, et al. has a similarly open spinner plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,355,399 to Kelley is a round tube device that leaves discharge openings of such size as to allow a bird to insert its head within the opening, thus gaining access to the feed. The diameter is uniform and has no significant structure for enhancing the consistency and uniformity of the feed distribution pattern. Simple discharge interference lips (reference B4 on FIGS. 3-4) restrict the feed discharge and provide some control over the distribution radius.
While these devices may function generally with respect to the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described. For example, such devices, do not provide what is needed, that is a spinner unit that encloses the feed in the spinner unit housing such that little or no top access is available to small animals, little or no access through the discharge openings is available to such animals, little or no feed is thrown up and off the spinner unit due to an inadequate covering configuration, little or no feed is dislodged from the spinner unit by wind, and the distribution pattern of the feed is enhanced for consistency and uniformity.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a spinner unit that encloses the feed in the spinner unit housing such that little or no top access is available to small animals. A special housing top is configured to cover all feed from the inlet that receives the feed from the feed storage unit discharge tube to the housing discharge openings. Similarly, little or no feed is thrown up and off the spinner unit due since such upward movement is prevented by the special housing cover configuration.
Also, little or no access through the housing discharge openings is available to such animals. Such openings are carefully sized and shaped to stop birds from inserting their heads through the discharge openings. Furthermore, little or no feed is dislodged from the spinner unit by wind due to the special enclosure of the feed by the spinner unit housing top and bottom, the symmetry of the housing rapidly turning the spinner unit to a sideways position such that the wind does not blow directly into the housing discharge openings.
Additionally, the distribution pattern of the feed is enhanced for consistency and uniformity in embodiments having a housing taper extending toward each housing discharge opening. This creates a symmetrical opening of reduced diameter that creates a jetting effect that contributes to a larger distribution distance and a uniform and consistent distribution pattern.
Also, in some embodiments, covers are placed over the housing openings that will not flip backwards on to the top of the spinner unit. Such covers are also prevented from rotating rearwardly into the spinner unit interior.
My invention provides a spinner unit for attachment to a substantially vertical rotating shaft of a control unit of a feeder, the control unit having a motor for rotating the shaft, the feeder having a feed storage unit for storing feed and discharging stored feed in a downward direction, the spinner unit comprising: a housing having a top and a bottom, the top and bottom being joined to form a housing interior, and to further form a first opening and a second opening, the top having an inlet for receiving feed from the feed storage unit into the housing interior, the housing having a maximum horizontal transverse width at the inlet that is greater than a maximum horizontal width of the housing at the first opening and a maximum horizontal width of the housing at the second opening, the top and bottom enclosing received feed in the interior such that feed proximate the first and second openings is covered by the housing top; and a shaft attachment member for attaching the housing to the control unit rotating shaft, such that when the shaft rotates, the housing spins, and received feed is forced from the housing interior through the first and second openings.
In one embodiment, the housing top and bottom enclose received feed in the housing interior such that the top substantially covers received feed in the interior between the top inlet and the first opening, and in the interior between the top inlet and the second opening.
In one embodiment, the housing top and bottom join to form a plurality of sides between the first and second openings.
In one embodiment, the formed sides are substantially vertical.
In one embodiment, the housing top extends beyond the housing bottom proximate at least one of the first opening and the second opening.
In one embodiment, the spinner unit further comprises a first opening cover attached to the housing for opening and closing over the first opening and a second opening cover attached to the housing for opening and closing over the second opening, the covers being attached such that the covers open when the housing is spinning, in response to centrifugal force.
In one embodiment, the feed storage unit has a discharge member through which the received feed is discharged from the feed storage unit, and the housing top inlet closely receives the discharge member.
In one embodiment, the housing has a longitudinal axis extending between the first and second openings, the housing top having an apex aligned with the longitudinal axis.
In one embodiment, the housing has a longitudinal axis extending between the first and second openings, the housing bottom having an apex aligned with the longitudinal axis.
In one embodiment, the housing has a longitudinal axis extending between the first and second openings, the housing top and bottom each having an apex aligned with the longitudinal axis.
In one embodiment, the housing top is curved.
In one embodiment, the housing bottom is curved.
In one embodiment, the housing top and bottom are curved.
I have provided a spinner unit for attachment to a substantially vertical rotating shaft of a control unit of a feeder, the control unit having a motor for rotating the shaft, the feeder having a feed storage unit for storing feed and discharging stored feed in a downward direction, the spinner unit comprising: a housing having a top, a bottom, a plurality of sides, and a plurality of side openings, the top, bottom and sides being joined to form a housing interior, the top having an inlet for receiving feed from the feed storage unit into the housing interior, the top, sides and bottom enclosing received feed in the interior such that received feed proximate the side openings is covered by the housing top; and a shaft attachment member for attaching the housing to the control unit rotating shaft, such that, when the shaft rotates, the housing spins, and received feed is forced from the housing interior through the side openings.
In one embodiment, the housing top and bottom enclose received feed in the housing interior such that the top substantially covers received feed in the interior between the top inlet and each of the side openings.
In one embodiment, the number of sides is two.
In one embodiment, the housing top and bottom are substantially circular in a plane substantially perpendicular to the control unit rotating shaft.
In one embodiment, the spinner unit further comprises an interior guide for each of the plurality of side openings, the interior guides being positioned adjacent the openings such that received feed contacting the guides is guided to the opening adjacent the contacted guide.
In one embodiment, the housing sides are substantially straight and perpendicular to the housing top, the sides having a height, each side having substantially the same height, the housing top having a width, the side heights being less than the housing top width.
In one embodiment, the number of sides is four.
In one embodiment, the housing top and bottom are substantially hexagonal in a plane substantially perpendicular to the control unit rotating shaft.
In one embodiment, the number of sides is six.
In one embodiment, the housing top and bottom are substantially octagonal in a plane substantially perpendicular to the control unit rotating shaft.
In one embodiment, the sides are substantially perpendicular to the housing top.
In one embodiment, the spinner unit further comprises a plurality of covers attached to the housing for opening and closing over each of the side openings, the covers being attached such that the covers open when the housing is spinning, in response to centrifugal force.
In one embodiment, the covers are attached such that the housing top prevents the covers from rotating to a position over the housing top.
In one embodiment, the covers are sized such that, when the covers are in the closed position, the housing bottom prevents the covers from rotating into the housing interior.
In one embodiment, the feed storage unit has a discharge member through which the received feed is discharged from the feed storage unit, and the housing top inlet closely receives the discharge member.
A spinner unit is provided for attachment to a substantially vertical rotating shaft of a control unit of a feeder, the control unit having a motor for rotating the shaft, the feeder having a feed storage unit for storing feed and discharging stored feed in a downward direction, the spinner unit comprising: a housing having a top, a bottom, a plurality of sides, a first opening and a second opening, the top, bottom and sides being joined to form a housing interior, the top, bottom and sides having a first end defining the first opening as a polygon, the top, bottom and sides having a second end defining the second opening as a polygon, the first and second openings each having a height and a width, the height of each such opening being less than the width of each such opening, the top having an inlet for receiving feed from the feed storage unit into the housing interior, the top, sides and bottom enclosing received feed in the interior such that received feed proximate the openings is covered by the housing top; and a shaft attachment member for attaching the housing to the control unit rotating shaft, such that, when the shaft rotates, the housing spins, and received feed is forced from the housing interior through the openings.
In one embodiment, the top and bottom enclose received feed in the housing interior such that the top substantially covers received feed in the interior between the top inlet and the first opening, and in the interior between the top inlet and the second opening.
In one embodiment, the number of sides is four and the first and second openings are hexagonally defined.
My invention provides a spinner unit for attachment to a substantially vertical rotating shaft of a control unit of a feeder, the control unit having a motor for rotating the shaft, the feeder having a feed storage unit for storing feed and discharging stored feed in a downward direction, the spinner unit comprising: a housing having a top, a bottom, four sides, and two side openings, the sides being substantially perpendicular to the top and bottom, the top, bottom and sides being joined to form a housing interior, the top and bottom being substantially hexagonal in a plane substantially perpendicular to the control unit rotating shaft, the top having an inlet for receiving feed from the feed storage unit into the housing interior, the housing top and bottom enclosing received feed in the housing interior such that the top substantially covers received feed in the interior between the top inlet and each of the side opening; and a shaft attachment member for attaching the housing to the control unit rotating shaft, such that, when the shaft rotates, the housing spins, and received feed is forced from the housing interior through the side openings.
The foregoing features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally represent like parts of exemplary embodiments of the invention.